Soup-stocks were prepared from three kinds of Niboshi (little dried sardines) different in size (small, medium and large). The tastes and the extractable components were compared among soup-stocks prepared by different methods in order to find a suitable method for soup-stock from each size of Nibosi. The result showed that the extraction of the components from the small-sized Nibosi was faster than that from the medium-and large-sized Niboshi, and it is considered to be attributed to the largeness of their surface parts. The small-sized Nibosi gave good stock with much umami by boiling for 3 minutes after soaking them in water for 30 minutes, or by boiling them for 5 minutes without keeping in water before heating; while in the case of medium- and large-sized Nibosi, they were cut into pieces so as to make the surface larger, and heated, then boiled thoroughly for 10-30minutes.
